Strengthening Resilience of Climate Change-Affected Communities in South-Western Coastal Area of Bangladesh
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Project Proposal Strengthening Resilience of Climate Change-Affected Communities in South-western Coastal Area of Bangladesh Submitted for Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Bangladesh (CBA) Small Grants Project Submitted by Practical Action Bangladesh Country Office House 12/B, Road 4 Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka 1205 Tel: +880 2 8650439, 9675236, 9675243; Fax: +880 29674340; E-mail: [email protected] 19 April 2011 PROPOSAL SUMMARY Project Title Strengthening Resilience of Climate Change-Affected Communities in South-western Coastal Area of Bangladesh Project Site Four villages (Chhotokupot, Boyarshing, Borokupot and Uttar Atulia) of Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district Proponent Practical Action, Bangladesh Country Office Practical Action aims to eradicate poverty in developing countries through the development and use of technology, by demonstrating results, sharing knowledge and influencing others. It has been working in Bangladesh as an International NGO since 1990 being registered with NGO Affairs Bureau. It works under three major thematic areas: 1) Reducing Vulnerability and Natural Resource Management; 2) Markets and livelihoods; and 3) Infrastructure and services. Practical Action has been working on climate change adaptation in Bangladesh as well as in the global arena over the last six years. In Bangladesh, a climate change adaptation project – one of the first few CBA projects in the country – started in 2005 in the north. Since then Practical Action Bangladesh has ‘climate-proofed’ all its DRR, livelihoods and food security projects for the poor and extreme poor by incorporating community-based climate resilience components. Climate change has also been considered as a cross-cutting issue in Practical Action’s current Global Strategy (2007-2012). The on-going ‘Climate Change Action Research Project in the South Western Coastal Region of Bangladesh’ project in Satkhira district has entered in its 2nd year and will compliment the proposed project activities. The problems, risks and some potential solutions illustrated in this proposal were identified since the mid-2009 through repeated community consultations and have been good bases for the proposed project. Practical Action Bangladesh’s current key donors are DFID, European Union, Big Lottery Fund, Unicef, GTZ, DGIS, States of Jersey, Allachy Trust, World Bank and Waterloo Foundation including our individual supporters in UK. The total budget of PAB for the current financial year (April 2010-March 2011) is around 4.0 million Pound. Authorized 1. Ms. Veena Khaleque, Country Director Representatives 2. Mr. S.M. Wahiduzzaman Babur, Head of Finance, Admin and HR 3. Dr. Haseeb Md. Irfanullah, Team Leader, Reducing Vulnerability and Natural Resource Management Cooperating Not applicable Organizations Project Dates January 2011-December 2012 1 Total Project USD 110,481 (BDT 7,917,476) Cost (USD) (The total cost, included CBA funding and co-financing in cash from (local currency) Practical Action. Value of in kind contributions from community is not added here) Amount USD 48,990 (BDT 3,510,790) Requested from CBA (USD) (local currency) Co-financing USD 61,491 (BDT 4,406,686) (in cash) (USD) (local currency) Community contribution (in kind): USD 19,645 (BDT 13,82,000) Project Goal Objective Resilience of coastal communities of Bangladesh under climate change regime strengthened through ecosystem and livelihoods protection. Purpose Adaptive capacity of four villages (400 households directly) of Atulia union of Satkhira district improved by introducing appropriate knowledge and technologies to cope with increased salinity conditions by December 2012. The main objective of the proposed project is to demonstrate relevant adaptive measures, approaches, and interventions that will build resilience of the salinity-affected vulnerable communities in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem management thereby reducing their climatic risks and securing their employment, food and income. Brief Project The project envisages attaining the following outcomes and outputs (long- Description term and short-term benefits). Outcomes (long-term benefits): 1. Improved capacity and representation of local people and institutions to influence climate change adaptation and biodiversity protection plans. 2. Sustainable aquaculture practiced in salinity-affected fish and shrimp farms mitigating at least 30% loss. 3. Negative pressure on natural aquatic animals (at least 5 species) reduced to a measurable extent. 4. Local ecosystem and peoples’ resilience improved as a whole through plantation. 5. Project lessons captured and mainstreamed with NAPA 2005, BCCSAP 2009 and Biodiversity Programme of Action 2020 for up scaling. Outputs (short-term benefits): 1. Understanding and awareness of the communities, 10 local NGOs, and local government institutions of Atulia union on the impacts of climate change, climate variability and biodiversity conservation enhanced. 2 2. Thirty skilled volunteers developed as ambassadors to climate change adaptation and biodiversity monitoring. 3. Adaptive model of biodiversity and environment sensitive shrimp farming demonstrated in salinity-affected increasing 40% household income. 4. Adaptation of selected aquatic animals and recent changes in fish- farming due to salinity intrusion in Atulia union recorded 5. Participatory aquatic biodiversity monitoring system practiced by community people, Union Parishad, local NGOs and at least 3 government line departments. 6. Off-farm activities practiced by 10% of 400 households (mostly women) to divert pressure from natural resources. 7. Two community nurseries of suitable plant species (wind-resistant and salinity) established with women-headed households. 8. Rehabilitation of mangrove plant species at 2,500 households and institution premises. 9. Project learning documented & widely disseminated in coastal regions. 1.0 RATIONALE 1.1 Community/Ecosystem Context Project area The project will direct work with 400 vulnerable households (about 2,000 people) in four villages of Atulia union of Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district. The upazila, with 1968.24 sq km area and population of 2,65,0041, is one of the most vulnerable coastal upazilas of Bangladesh. It consists of 13 union parishads and 216 villages. The four villages where the project will be implemented are Chhotokupot, Boyarshing, Borokupot and Uttar Atulia with total population of 2440. Land ownership of a significant number of families varies from landlessness living on khas land to having own homestead but negligible amount of cultivable. In almost all cases, housing is very congested. Livelihoods The project area is agriculture depended. Rice cultivation and aquaculture/trading are two main areas on which most of the local people are depended upon. Other professions include businessmen/traders, day-labourers, fishermen, van puller, poultry & livestock rearing, boatman, mason, nursery owners and service-holders/teacher. The recent FGDs highlighted the fact that although women are mostly appeared to be housewives, but in some areas they are also involved in agriculture, aquaculture (collection of shrimp juvenile/post larvae and crab collection, sorting and processing of fish), day labour, homestead gardening etc. (e.g. Hindu communities in Borokupot and Uttar Atulia villages). Earning women spend 50% of their income independently. Early marriage is negligible in the area. Findings also indicated that almost 73% of the people depended upon loan from various sources. More than 56% of the people of this area are food deficit for 2-6 months a year. Target groups The project will primarily focus on people associated with shrimp farming, crab farming (resource poor and landless farmers), and fishermen and collectors of wild shrimp juvenile (post larvae) and crab larvae as the direct project participants. These are the people who are also directly affected by 1 Banglapedia 2006 (http://www.banglapedia.org/httpdocs/HT/S_0367.HTM) 3 climate variability, salinity intrusion and often by extreme events due to their profession and dependency on weather and natural resources. Female-headed households are another vulnerable group with limited resources. All these groups will be targeted under the present project. Ecosystems and people Terrestrial ecosystem of the project area is dominated by cultivable land. Aquatic ecosystems are dominated by fish/shrimp ponds (gher). Natural aquatic ecosystems include distributaries of rivers and associated canals (khal) criss-crossing the whole area. In the past, the project area was under Sundarbans mangrove forest, but now the forest boundary is pushed further south. Nonetheless, mangrove species can bee seen the proposed project area along the canals as the area is under tidal zone. The recent increase in salinity has also changing the plant diversity/coverage in the area. All these ecosystems are highly prone to climate-induced hazards, especially salinity, flood, drought, water-logging, cyclone, tidal surge, and arsenic. An on-going study of Practical Action in Satkhira identified the change in abundance of wild aquatic animal in open system and stocked species in farms including change in land use pattern in the area. Exploitation of wild shrimp juvenile and crab from rivers is potential alarming. Aquaculture farmers found to be confused with both stocked and non-stocked species combination of various aquatic animals at different levels of salinity. People believe these changes are happening because of tidal